The clingy concubine ran away, and the sickly prince lost control.

"Aunt Luo, may your business prosper," Cui Rou said with a smile as she entered.

"Thank you for your kind words."

When did Cui Rou learn to speak properly?

One shouldn't hit a smiling face, so Luo Qingyan returned the smile.

"When your shop opens, business must be better than Qian Fanghai's. If it's not as good as Qian Fanghai's, the second branch of the family will take advantage of their aunt."

Cui Rou found a chair and sat down.

"Miss Cui, you are overthinking it. The old lady is very wise and resourceful. She usually just gives in to the second branch of the family. If the second branch were to do anything outrageous, I'm sure the old lady would have a way to deal with it. It has nothing to do with my little shop."

Luo Qingyan fixed her gaze on Cui Rou, still trying to sow discord between the old lady and her. The second branch of the family had been running rampant in the mansion for a long time; what did it have to do with her?

Cui Rou pinched the handkerchief between her fingers. Luo Qingyan was quite eloquent: "Aunt has her own methods, but your business is not doing well, which inevitably emboldens the second branch of the family. More importantly, you are busy with business all day long, when will you be able to have a child? Or does Aunt Luo value business more than offspring?"

"Miss Cui need not worry about that. In the end, Miss Cui is unwilling to marry the young master. Otherwise, the old lady's hope of having a grandson could have been realized sooner."

Not only does she refuse to marry him, but she also goes around spiteing him.

Why not go back to Qinghe and find a good marriage partner sooner rather than later? Why bother getting entangled in the Duke's mansion?

Cui Rou was instantly speechless with anger, and then she blamed her.

She's still Pei Shiyuan's fiancée, so what's wrong with her meddling in matters of having children?

If you can't have children, your aunt will definitely punish you.

"Miss Cui, this is our new Dendrobium Iced Drink, please try it."

Luo Qingyan personally poured Cui Rou a glass.

Cui Rou sighed softly. It took her a while to pour her a cup of tea. How petty and ignorant of etiquette!

"Aunt Luo, you're too kind. It's just that the way you walk, swinging your arms a bit too much, is quite unrefined." Cui Rou took the iced drink, took a sip, and her every move perfectly captured the elegance of a noble lady from a prominent family.

"Pah, pah!"

Just a tiny sip on my lips, and the bitterness seeped right into my heart.

Cui Rou spat repeatedly, completely forgetting about her appearance and demeanor.

Luo Qingyan curled her lips. So she's not putting on airs like a young lady anymore? She really doesn't say a single nice thing.

"Miss Cui, please watch your words and actions. Spitting on the ground is really unseemly."

"Luo Qingyan, what did you put in there?" Cui Rou asked angrily.

"Oh, Miss Cui, please forgive me. I run a medicinal cuisine shop, so naturally all my teas contain herbs, and it's normal for them to be a little bitter."

Before serving it to Cui Rou, she deliberately added a lot of bitter herbs to make it extremely bitter.

"It's so bitter, no one's drinking it," Cui Rou said angrily, her face turning red, her throat almost popping out.

She kept wiping her mouth with a handkerchief; Luo Qingyan was doing it on purpose.

Didn't Luo Haitang say that Luo Qingyan let her beat and scold her and obey her orders?

For every word she said, Luo Qingyan retorted, proving she wasn't as weak and easily bullied as people made her out to be.

She even dared to give her bitter tea; Luo Qingyan really has a lot of nerve.

"Ginkgo, let's go."

"Those who need it will drink it. Miss Cui, take care, I won't see you off." Luo Qingyan smiled and waved at Cui Rou's angry back.

Outside the door, Cui Rou hurriedly climbed onto the carriage to drink water and rinse her mouth.

Tea and snacks are usually served in the larger carriages of the Duke's mansion.

Cui Rou rinsed her mouth and spat it out several times before she felt that her mouth wasn't so bitter, and she breathed heavily.

"Miss, please calm down." Yinxing gently patted Cui Rou's back. "In my opinion, Aunt Luo is not as weak as Luo Haitang said, and she will not be intimidated by your words."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Cui Rou was annoyed that she couldn't argue with Luo Qingyan. Right now, she just wanted to crush Luo Qingyan under her feet. Without her, Pei Shiyuan would only have her in his heart until his death.

"Miss, we must strike decisively and ensure that Luo Qingyan has no chance of recovery."

Yinxing's eyes were chilling. "Think about it, what could have happened? The old lady and the young master would abandon Concubine Luo."

"I don't know, is it because she can't get pregnant?" Cui Rou couldn't believe it.

Yinxing lowered her voice and leaned closer to Cui Rou: "Being unable to conceive is a matter for later. Right now, the most damaging thing to Aunt Luo is to ruin her reputation. Do you think if she is defiled by someone else, will the young master and the old lady still want her? They would probably beat her to death."

"That's right! How come I didn't think of that? If Luo Qingyan were touched by another man, the Duke's Mansion would definitely not want her." Cui Rou's eyes flashed with joy, but then she turned away and lowered her eyes in disappointment: "Alas! Luo Qingyan and the young master are inseparable, even when they come to Kangning Pavilion together, it's very difficult to get her."

Ginkgo's eyes darted around: "It's true that it's difficult for men outside to get close to Luo Qingyan, but it's not difficult for the servants inside the Duke's mansion. Why don't we..."

Cui Rou nodded thoughtfully.

Kangning Pavilion.

When Luo Qingyan saw Pei Shiyuan rolling out in his wheelchair, she remembered that she should go and read to him.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, I forgot."

"You did a good job." Pei Shiyuan's eyes held a hint of relief. Cui Rou was really annoying. It was one thing if she didn't want to marry him, but she knew her own physical condition and wouldn't hold him back. However, she stayed in the Duke's mansion and wouldn't stay there properly. She was always targeting Luo Qingyan.

Cui Rou? When Luo Qingyan gave her the Yuhu Bingqing Drink with added Coptis chinensis, she was worried that Pei Shiyuan would feel sorry for her and cause trouble.

"You don't blame me?" Luo Qingyan asked tentatively.

"Cui Rou is spoiled and pampered; she deserves to suffer a bit." Pei Shiyuan blinked his long eyelashes slightly. "You've got guts too."

"I... I got excited for a moment." Luo Qingyan smiled awkwardly. With Pei Shiyuan by her side, she felt very confident and dared to think and act.

"Alright, you don't need to study this afternoon. Come with me to the Imperial Academy." Pei Shiyuan turned and went back into the house.

"Yes," Luo Qingyan said solemnly, then turned to change into a simple and elegant dress, suitable for a scholarly place like the Imperial Academy.

"Your Highness, what are we going to the Imperial Academy for?"

"You'll see when we get there. Bring some snacks." Pei Shiyuan slowly rolled his wheelchair down the slope to the first floor.

Pei Shiyuan kept everyone in suspense.

Luo Qingyan didn't want to ask any further questions. She guessed he was going to see his friend. After getting into the carriage, she lifted the curtain and admired the scenery on the street.

In her past life, she shuttled between the clinic and the Luo residence every day just to have enough to eat, and never had a chance to properly appreciate the sights of the capital. If someone asked her what was fun to do in the capital, she couldn't say at all.

Along the way, the only familiar place Luo Qingyan knew was a ghee pancake stall. After finishing her work at the clinic for the day, she would come here to buy a ghee pancake when she was very hungry, because when she returned to the Luo residence, there was either no food or leftover cold rice and vegetables from the servants, which were not oily and not filling.

"Put your head back," Pei Shiyuan said coldly. Luo Qingyan stretched her neck out like a duck, but didn't say a word to him for a long time.

"profound."

Just as Luo Qingyan was about to lower the curtain, she saw a familiar figure.

Luo Haitang.

She must have come to see her beloved Shen Nanxun.

Luo Haitang was Shen Nanxun's savior.